Best of British Week

The Union Jack...
such a strong design...the cross of St. George (red on white) for England, the cross of St. Andrew (white diagonal on blue) for Scotland, and the cross of St.Patrick (red diagonal on white) for Ireland

also looks beautiful painted on vintage desks or as scatter cushions and on rugs designed by Vivienne Westwood!

For more best of british check out
Pip's blog
*image from UK Easy Living*

Simple is Better....

well for me it is....

last week I was late with a swap, for some reason i thought I had another week...lucky I wasnt the only one so frantically I tried to get some ideas together

Regina's swap theme was Birds, Bees & Trees....but I struggled...i tried a few things but in the end this is what I came up with -very simple but I like the way they turned out....
so where are the bees you ask?

Buzzing on the inside of course!!

Best of British week...

Allison is hosting 'best of british' week over at Pip's ....im joining in on the fun!

*photo by Chris Everard via Sarah Kaye

This is my Knick Knack/Jewellery Box.....

its full of stuff that Ive accumulated over the years.
Most days all I wear is a silver necklace or silver hoop earrings - never both at the same time but I always wear silver bangles (love the clunking noise) my watch and my wedding band with my engagement ring...Im eyeing a hammered silver bangle on etsy right now....to buy or not to buy?

oh here is a good chance to show my beautiful bedspread crocheted by my mum - its the loveliest handmade present ever!! have a great start to the week everyone!
For more Knick Knack boxes go to Angela's blog!

Week of Cute

I think a week of cute
is over now but had to squeeze in a last post....
here we have a cute kiddies plate set that my gorgeous sister-in-law Freda gave to Neo - i think I should buy another one because the boys fight over who is going to use it - love the illustrated birds - cute!!
and
these vintage kids chairs and retro tables at Neo's playgroup...they are so adorable!!
i had to take a picture of them the other day - the mothers must think Im mad...but hey I do have a blog to decorate!
I cant believe our month of inspiring images is over now- thanks Veronica it was fun doing this with you and a big thank you to everyone who came to see what inspires me and who left comments too!!! thank you thank you....dont forget the flickr group ..loads of eye candy there with over 300 members!
off to take the boys swimming now....ciao!!

Style Icon: Sophia

Sophia Loren will always be one of my style icons...from the almond shaped eyes to the heavy accent - she is just beautiful!!!

Fashion layouts inspired by a young Sophia (bella bella) and that classic Italiano style are always appealing to me ....

* vintage image of Sophia from STYD magazine, next two layouts from Australian Cosmopolitan (1995) and Linda Evangelista in Dolce & Gabban advertisment*

Inspiring Images of the day.....

Greek Island adventure
a gorgeous layout in (USA) Vogue, December 05 issue...photographed by Ellen Von Unwerth who is one of my favourite fashion photographers....love the stories she creates with pictures!
the models are true life couple Kirsty Hume and Donovan Leitch...

So when the stress of everyday life gets to you its nice to dream of a get away and what a better place to enjoy a bit of fun and relaxation than Greece!



* Can anyone help with the format of my blog - i have no idea what I did in my template but everything appears larger?*

A week of cute: Day 3

here are some of my cuties -my boys cant touch these ones, they're my toys...

Sleeping Kewpie....Zzzzz
a little boy and his chook ( ive had this since the 70's.... )



and my pretty showgirl!

Decorative Walls....

i love seeing people's inspiration boards and walls...every time you look there is something new & interesting that stands out....


and dont forget to check out Erin of Design for Mankind's latest Inspiration Ezine - issue 3
download here

* image from Lucky magazine (top)
REal living magazine (middle) and Domino mag (bottom)*

Joining in on Pip's and Angela's

‘A week of cute’

No time to take some new photos but will do so on my day off - but here are some oldies from my Flickr account....cute Holly Hobbie plates...
had to share this one too - i uploaded this photo on flickr a couple of weeks ago - Neo being the cheeky 3 year old that he is, broke a vintage figurine i had in their room...off with his head!!
its too cute to throw away so had to keep it! ha!

Anglomania
if i wasn't an Australian, i think id like to be British!

from my love of Paddington Bear as a wee little one to a young teen
fascinated with the The Royal family (dont ask????)... I used to dream I was going to marry Prince Andrew....haha well i did end up marrying an Andrew...no royal blood but he is my prince...

I cant say no to a cup of tea on a gray & rainy day, we've got our wellies on....and what do you say to some sardines on toast then....delicious!
well thats my inspiring images of the day - cant believe Veronica and I have posted every day for the past 3 weeks...this is our final week for images that inspire, hope you've enjoyed them so far!
*Top image from UK Vogue 12/07
*Bottom image from UK Easy living 6/06

Its 'This is' time again
This weeks topic is 'This is ...the contents of my bag'
Lucky my bag is much cleaner than normal....
the tote I carry on the weekend is by OtchiPotchi and the lovely Paula let me choose what lining i wanted - i decided on the floral, its such a great roomy tote - love carrying it around!
so we have the normal things - purse, keys, makeup bag and lip gloss, sunnies, toothbrush (braces...ughhh!) , mobile phone, panadol, tampons, sunblock for the boys, coin purse, handcream, markers and it usually has lots of receipts but i crammed them into my purse - i usually add baby wipes for the sticky hands and dirty faces and out the door I go.... For more 'This is'.. posts check out Angela's blog to see who is playing!

I added a simple tutorial on my flickr today - this simple card in 4 steps....have a look if you like!
have a FAB start to the week everyone!

Illustration friday - Pet Peeves

i thought Id post this before the topic changes in an hour or so....my Pet Peeve - mobile phones (cell phones)

i know i know...they are the norm and life has changed and we wonder what we did without them but really people do we need to be contactable ALL the time? do we really need to text or check our messages like every minute or so....oh and dont forget having to avoid people who are walking and talking and clueless about the world around them....and those nasty ringtones....

OK im off to bed now....

A box of one's own....

my inspiring picture of the day is this gorgeous knick knack box which was featured in Notebook magazine

i got my first jewellery box at a really young age - a pink one with painted ballerinas on the lid...i used to enjoy putting things in there, my baby jewellrey, buttons, brooches and secret letters....

This box reminds me of my grandmother who always had lots of little boxes of interesting things - knick knacks like these, another box full of family photos, another with pretty hankies - she even had a whole drawer in her kitchen just for her odds and ends ...it was probably her junk drawer but my sister and I used to love going through it to see what new things she had placed in there....

A little Green.....

This green image (from USA Elle magazine) has been in my clippings folder for years now ...i love the intense shades of green in plants and nature....

and since Moline is hosting a Green week on her blog I thought it would be nice to share...i also did a 'Old Green Door' mosaic on Flickr....

you can see the details of each image in my flickr.

Its also my day off today so Im going to catch up on my emails, read my favourite blogs and do some crafting - ive got ATCs to do for a swap and I also need to finish some notecards for Regina's note card swap....

but first Im going to meet up with my friend Sia and her little boy Evan so Neo can have a play and I can have a chit chat!
Have a FUN day!!

Intensity.....

This dark and moody picture of the Wicked Queen in 'Snow White' a Fairy Tale layout in Australian Bazaar magazine
totaly inspired these two black and white pages in my clippings book....i did these on Sunday night whilst watching 'Jane Austen Book Club' on DVD...

I love black...i have a lot of black clothing and Im constantly hearing my mother telling me to wear more colour...(she also tells me (nags me) to wear more makeup, be more tidy and to eat better haha....
Do you think a black dress is suitable to wear to an evening wedding? We got an invitation in the mail the other day - i love weddings!!
such wonderful and happy occasions...im just wondering what to wear now......

muted shades

I love these muted murky shades - blues, greens, yellows and and creams - I think they look gorgeous in the home and create such a cosy feel....
We're thinking of moving next year - we're not sure if we'll buy a new home (we are currently looking) or if we'll fix up our investment home - lots of walls to knock down, a huge new kitchen and we can slowly turn it into our dream house...im a little scared as renovating can be stressful work and I must admit Id rather buy then fix but it will also be a challenge... I'm also stuck about interior styles, how does one choose when there is so much on offer out there?? too confusing!
* All images from Mary Engelbreit Home Companion (back issues), its one of my very favourite mags ever!*

Portugese beauty.....

not sure what they are talking about but I do know i adore these sweet illustrations!!
another cute buy at the local library sale...what a better way to spend 20 cents!!
I think the title might be 'Welcome Autumn'? (anyone speak portguese?)

Italian Grandeur...
Following up with inspiration images....
I love everything about these two pages which were featured in (USA) Vogue - this beautiful home is in Sicily, Italy, a place id love to visit one day.
The warm and earthy texture of the natural stone walls combined with the neutral
colours create such grand beauty, dont you think?
The gardens look beautiful and the views spectacular!!
a home for generations to come!
* you can click on images to get a bigger and more detailed view*

This is ....My Demon

Chocolate!

I cant say no...I just cant...once I start its hard to stop at just one piece.

is that bad?

not really...(or so I like to convince myself)

Chocolate desserts are even better - rich, smooth, warm and gooey - it sure makes you feel good eating it!

*Image from this month's Australian Womens Weekly - love the Fornasetti plates! actually i had a haircut yesterday and my fringe is now as short as hers...not happy heehee

For more 'This is' ...posts check out Angela's side bar